Non-detachable closure cap for collapsible containers and the like



y 1955 I. F. BOYER NON-DETACHABLE CLOSURE CAP FOR COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 25, 1955 FIG. 4.

IN VEN TOR.

AGM/N F- BOYEE United States Patent O NON-DETACHABLE CLOSURE CAP FOR COLLAPS- IBLE CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE Irvin F. Boyer, York, Pa. Application March 25, 1955-, Serial No. 496,758

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-548) This invention relates to closure caps, and more particularly has reference to a closure cap which is especially well adapted, but not necessarily restricted to, use on collapsible containers such as those holding tooth paste, shaving cream, etc.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved closure cap so designed as to prevent its loss. Conventionally, a closure cap is completely detachable from the container neck, being usually threadedly connected thereto, and due to this fact and its small size, is often lost, as a result of which the contents of the container are not protected against the deleterious effects of air and dirt at the neck of the container.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a closure cap that will be so designed as to permit one to visually observe, with a minimum of difficulty, the position of the cap so far as its opening and closing the dispensing opening of the container is concerned.

Another object is to provide a closure cap as stated which will be capable of assembly with an associated container with a minimum of difficulty during the manufacture of the container, thus to provide a commercially feasible closure cap that can be manufactured at a minimum of cost.

Another object is to provide a cap as stated which will be capable of manufacture from simply designed members formed of molded plastic or the like, to still further permit lowering of the manufacturing cost.

A further object of importance is to provide a closure cap as hereinbefore described which, in its closed position, will effectively seal the container against the admission of air or dirt.

A further object of importance is to provide a closure cap which will be adjusted between its open and closed position through a relatively small path of travel.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a collapsible container and of a closure cap formed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in which the container is fragmentarily shown, the container being partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section and the cap being shown in side elevation in its closed position;

Figure 3 is a plan sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 44 of Figure 2.

A collapsible container generally designated at 10 is illustrated, in association with a closure cap generally designated 12, formed according to the present invention.

The container itself is generally conventional so far as the body portion however is concerned, and includes a collapsible, elongated body 14 integral or otherwise made rigid at one end with a tapering head portion 16 integral at its smaller, outer end with a cylindrical neck 18 having a flat end wall 20 lying in a plane normal to the axis of the neck. Externally, the neck 18 and the tapered portion 16, as shown, can be formed with uniformly spaced, circumferentially extending corrugations, to facilitate grasping of the container when the same is in use.

Centrally formed in end wall 20 is an opening 22 of circular formation, and in the side wall of the neck 18 there is formed an elongated dispensing aperture 24 extending circumferentially of the neck through a relatively small part of the neck circumference, as shown in Figure 3.

The closure cap 12 includes two main components, which can be formed of molded plastic in a preferred embodiment of the invention, although the materials used are not critical to the invention. The cap includes as one of its components an inner member 26, disposed interiorly of the neck 18. The inner member 26 is of cylindrical formation, corresponding in diameter to the inner diameter of the neck as shown in Figure 3, thus to rotatably mount the inner member 26 within the neck. The inner member, at its top, has a flat surface in contact with the inner surface of end wall 20.

Formed in the member 26, and extending continuously from the top to the bottom surfaces thereof, is a recess 28 extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the member 26. The recess 28 defines a flow passage within member 26, for materials being dispensed from the container. When the member 26 is rotated to the position thereof shown in Figures 3 and 4, the recess 28 is disposed diametrically opposite the dispensing aperture 24, and as a result, the container is effectively sealed against the accidental flow of its contents out of the dispensing aperture, and is further elfectively sealed against the undesired admission of air, dirt, etc.

However, when the member 26 is rotated degrees from the position thereof shown in Figures 3 and 4, the recess 28 is aligned with the dispensing aperture 24, so as to communicate the aperture 24 with the interior of the container, thus to permit the containers contents to be dispensed responsive to squeezing of the collapsible body thereof.

Integrally formed upon the member 26, and projecting upwardly from the center area of the upper surface thereof, is a relatively elongated axial projection 30 of oval or other noncircular cross section throughout its length, tapering in a direction away from the member 26 as shown in Figure 4. This is cemented or otherwise permanently and fixedly secured to the wall of a complementarily shaped opening 32 extending fully from the top to the bottom surfaces of an outer member or handle 34 having a flat underside rotatable seating upon the outer surface of end wall 20.

In the periphery of member 34, and extending fully from top to bottom thereof, is a relatively shallow recess 36 of arcuate section, aligned axially of members 26, 34 with the recess 28, to provide a visual indication for the user whereby he will know the position of recess 28 in respect to dispensing aperture 24 at all times. Also formed on the periphery of member 34, and extending through the remainder of the outer circumference, are uniformly spaced corrugations or flutes 38 also extending from top to bottom of member 34, to roughen the surface thereof for the purpose of providing a better grip thereon.

In the manufacture of the container, members 26, 34 are assembled with one another and with the container in the relationship shown in Figure 4, by insertion of axial projection 30 through opening 22 and by cementing of the axial projection in said opening. As previously mentioned, recesses 36, 28 are aligned.

In use of the container, normally recess 28 is out of registration with dispensing aperture 24, thus closing the 3 dispensing aperture to seal the interior of the container against the accidental flow of its contents out of the dispensing aperture, and further, against the admission of air or foreign. particles, When; dispensing, oi the man tair'rer contents is desired, handle 3411's rotated in an: extent sufficient to align: the recessv 36 with the: dispen ing, aperture. This results: in registering of the aperture 24 and recess 28-, the recess 28 nowproviding a flow passage communicating between the aperture 24 and: the interior of the container body.. Squeezing of the container will now cause the container contents to be forced through the dispensing aperture.

I-f it is desired that a restricted how of the contents be efllected, the recess 36 is moved slightl-yout of align;- ment with dispensing aperture 24, thus to slightly offset the recess 28-from the aperture 24 so that only a portion or; the aperture 24 is opened.

It will be seen that the container can: be opened: or closed merely by partial rotation of the handle 34 to a relatively small extent, rotatable movement said handle through approximately 90 degrees being Wholly sufiicient. Further, at all times the closure cap remains with the container, and it is impossible to detach the same from the container, thus insuring against lossof the closure cap. Still further, the closure capismade fronronly two parts, both of which are simply designed pieces readily molded from plastic or formed from other mate rial, and assembledwit-hequal facility with the associated container.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited, Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction: that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In acontainer, 2. container body including a cylindrical neck having aside wall formed with a circumferential-ly extending dispensing aperture, said neck further including an end wallhaving a center opening and lying in a plane normal to the axis of the neck; and aclosure cap' rotatably mounted upon the neck, said closure cap including. an inner member disposed interiorly of the neck and having a cylindrical shape, said inner member having, a flow passage on its periphery extending in-jparallelism with the axis of rotation of the inner member, said flow passage extending from one end of the inner member at least to a location at which the flow passage will be in communication with. the dispensing aperture.

in one position to which the inner member is rotated within the neck, the other end of the inner member being flat and being in face-to-face contact with the inner surface of the end wall, the closure cap additionally including an outer member having an axial bore extending from end to end thereof, one end of the outer member being in face to face contact with the outer surface of said end wall of the neck, the inner member having an axial projection extending through the center opening and fixedly engaged: in said bore toconnect the inner and outer members permanentlyto one another for joint rotation upon the neck, and to hold said members permanently assembled with the neck, said axial bore being tapered from end to end thereof, the axial projection being correspondingly tapered.

2. In a container, a container body including a cylindrical neck having. a side Wall formed with a circum'fierentially extending dispensing, aperture, said neck further including an end wall having: a center opening and: lying in a plane normal tothe axis of the neck; and a closure cap rotatably mounted upon the neck, said closure cap including an inner member disposed: interiorly' of the neck and having acylindrical shape, said: inner member having. a flow passage on its periphery extending in parallelisrn. with the axis of rotation. of the inner member, said flow passage extending; from. one end of the inner member at least to a location at which the flow passage will be in communication with the dispensing aperture in one position to which the inner member is rotated within the neck, the other end of the inner member being flat and being in face-to-face contact with the inner surface of the end wall, the closure cap additionally including: an outer member having an axial bore extending from end to end thereof, one end of the outer member being in face-to-face contact with the outer surface of said end wall of the neck, the inner member having anaxial projection extending through the center open ingv and fixedly engaged in said bore to connect the inner and outer members permanently to one another for joint rotation upon the neck, and to hold said members permanently assembled: with the neck, said' axial bore being tapered from end to end thereof, the axial projection being correspondingly tapered, the axial projection and said bore being of non-circular cross section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3l/6,46O Hoyt Apr. 28, 1885 1, 865,233 Campbell June 28, 1932 2,112,125 Bul'tzingslowen Mar. 22, 1938 

